Laura M

Vital stats

Background

Laura was a happy and contented baby until she started pre-school. She had frequent temper tantrums and would often be found sitting in a corner on her own, while the other children were having fun. When Laura was five, her school referred her to an occupational therapist; four years later Laura finally got to see a therapist, however they had little to offer. Laura’s problems finally came to a head in Year 5 when her maths teacher began to make fun of the fact that one day she knew her tables and the next day she didn’t. Laura was so upset after school she refused to eat and would often cry until bedtime. Laura’s school rejected her parents request for a formal assessment because they didn’t think her problems qualified for external help. Meanwhile, Laura was also having problems with her special needs assistant, who told her off for reversing her numbers. It became increasingly difficult to get Laura to school. She would say that she wanted to die and go to heaven to be with Gramps so that it wouldn’t hurt anymore. Laura asked her parents to find a way to make her happy again and that’s when they came across Wynford Dore’s story.

Laura’s journey

Laura started the Dore programme in June 2007. Her parents recall the relief when Dore diagnosed Laura’s problem and told them there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Within days of starting the Programme Laura started to demonstrate progress. She began to walk upright instead of hunched over. When she tried this before the Dore Programme she would have lost her balance. Following subsequent sessions Laura built her confidence enough to attempt to ride her bike for the first time. Within five minutes she had mastered it. Laura’s mother Debbie recalls having never seen a smile so wide on any child’s face. Shortly after, Laura asked her brother James if she could borrow his Harry Potter book. Without using her finger as a guide she managed to read 19 pages unsupported. Her progress continued as the Programme developed with everyday bringing a new change.

The future

In June 2007, Laura’s spelling age was 7 years and 10 months. At the beginning of September the same year it had improved to that of a 10 year old; her actual age. With this improvement came an improvement in her writing, specifically her handwriting. Laura previously struggled to articulate herself, however following Dore found herself with a new found passion for writing poetry. This led Laura to master the use of a computer as an aid to capture her thoughts. At school she slowly began to interact and built a strong peer network who no longer labelled her as ‘weird’. Getting Laura to school in the morning was no longer a chore. Today Laura is the first out the door after breakfast and the first home with her homework. In late 2007 Laura’s parents asked the school to stop officially monitoring Laura’s progress as her problem areas subsided.

Your story has inspired me to help my son Jake, he sounds very similar and we are now finally after 8 years are going to be screened for adhd and asd. He has low self esteem, no confidence, says he wants to die, hates school and has no friends they call him weird. I hope we can now find an answer and I no longer feel useless either.